How to Read Care Labels?

by OEM

Textile care labels are a simple set of instructions stitched onto a garment that explain how to best wash, dry, iron, and/or bleach it. Care labels play an essential role in helping your textiles last as long as possible, but they aren’t always easy to decipher at a glance. In this guide, we’ll walk you through what all the different symbols mean, so you can read washing labels with ease before your next laundry load.

  • The washtub symbol refers to the washing instructions.
  • The square symbol refers to the drying instructions.
  • The triangle symbol refers to the bleaching instructions.
  • The iron symbol refers to the ironing instructions.
  • The circle symbol refers to the dry-cleaning instructions.

Washing symbols indicate the best cycle and temperature for a garment.The symbol looks like a wash bucket and may appear with dots or a number in the center (that indicate temperature) or with horizontal lines underneath (that designate a specific type of cycle).[1]

  • A plain washtub: Use a normal cycle in your washing machine
  • A crossed-out washtub: Don’t wash
  • A washtub with 1 horizontal line at the bottom: Use a permanent press cycle
  • A washtub with 2 horizontal lines at the bottom: Use a delicate/gentle cycle (in Europe, this is sometimes called a “GB wash”)
  • A washtub with a hand inside: Hand-wash only
  • A washtub with 1 dot or the # 30: Wash the garment at 30 °C (86 °F) or lower
  • A washtub with 1 dot or the # 30 with a line underneath the bucket: Wash the garment at 30 °F (−1 °C) or lower on a delicate cycle
  • A washtub with 2 dots or the # 40: Wash the garment at 40 °C (104 °F) or lower
  • A washtub with 3 dots or the # 50: Wash the garment at 50 °C (122 °F) or lower
  • A washtub with 4 dots or the # 60: Wash the garment at 60 °C (140 °F) or lower
  • A washtub with 5 dots or the # 70: Wash the garment at 70 °C (158 °F) or lower
  • A washtub with 6 dots or the # 80: Wash the garment at 80 °C (176 °F) or lower
  • A washtub with 7 dots or the # 90: Wash the garment at 90 °C (194 °F) or lower. (In some cases, the label can even read the # 95, which stands for 95 °C (203 °F)

Dryer symbols indicate if a garment can be tumble-dried or air-dried.Some care labels feature the symbol of a square with a circle inside, which symbolizes a tumble dryer; other labels feature variations of a traditional square, which symbolizes air drying. For tumble-drying symbols, extra lines and dots give insight into the exact cycle and/or temperature that needs to be used.

  • A plain square: Tumble-dry with a normal dryer cycle
  • A square with 1 line underneath: Tumble-dry with the permanent press cycle setting
  • A square with 2 lines underneath: Tumble-dry with the gentle/delicate cycle setting
  • Square with a black/closed circle in the center: Tumble-dry using a no-heat cycle
  • Square with a white/open circle in the center: Tumble-dry at any temperature
  • Square with 1 dot in the center: Tumble-dry at a low temperature
  • Square with 2 dots in the center: Tumble-dry at a medium temperature
  • Square with 3 dots in the center: Tumble-dry at a high temperature
  • Crossed-out square symbol: Don’t dry whatsoever
  • Crossed-out twisted fabric symbol: Don’t wring the fabric
  • A square with a curved line (like an envelope): Line-dry the wet clothes.
  • A square with 3 vertical lines: Hang up the clothes and let them drip dry.
  • A square with 2 diagonal lines in the top left corner: Hang the clothes to dry in a shaded area
  • A square with a horizontal line: Let the garment air-dry flat.

Triangular symbols describe if a garment can or can’t be bleached.Variations of the bleach symbol may indicate if certain types of bleach can/can’t be used (like chlorinated or non-chlorinated).

  • Open triangle: Bleach if necessary
  • Striped triangle: Non-chlorine bleach only
  • Triangle with CL in the center: Chlorine bleach only
  • Solid or open triangle that’s crossed out: Don’t bleach whatsoever (newer care labels tend to use an open/white triangle that’s crossed out, while older care labels might use a solid triangle)

Ironing symbols describe if a garment can be ironed.Ironing symbols resemble a classic iron, and sometimes have dots in the center if a garment needs to be ironed at a high or low setting.

  • Iron symbol with no dots: Iron the garment at any temperature and/or steam it, if necessary
  • Iron symbol with no dots: Iron the garment at any temperature.
  • Crossed-out iron symbol: Don’t iron
  • Iron with crossed-out lines underneath: Don’t steam
  • Iron symbol with 1 dot: Iron the garment at 230 °F (110 °C)
  • Iron symbol with 2 dots: Iron the garment at 300 °F (149 °C)
  • Iron symbol with 3 dots: Iron the garment at 390 °F (199 °C)

Circular symbols are instructions for dry-cleaning professionals.Usually, fabrics with this symbol cannot get wet. Unless you’re dry-cleaning your own clothes, you don’t need to worry about these types of symbols.

  • Crossed-out circle: don’t dry-clean
  • Open circle with line in top-left corner: Run a cycle with reduced moisture
  • Open circle with line in top-right corner: Run a cycle without any steam
  • Open circle with line in bottom-left corner: Run a short cycle
  • Open circle with line in bottom-right corner: Run a low-heat cycle
  • Open circle with an “A” in the center: Use any type of solvent
  • Open circle with a “P” in the center: Use any type of solvent that isn’t trichloroethylene
  • Open circle with an “F” in the center: Only use a petroleum-based solvent

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